--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no way to explain to a child that…" description: "\"There's no way to explain to a child that the line between good and evil isn't nearly as black and white as a fairy tale would lead you to believe. Tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d68/jodi-picoult-45_believe_there-s-no-way-to-explain-to-a-child-tha_1527852.jpg" --- # There's no way to explain to a child that the line between… ![“There's no way to explain to a child that the line between good and evil isn't nearly as black and white as a fairy tale would lead you to believe. That an ordinary person can turn into a villain, under the right circumstances. That sometimes we dragon slayers do things we aren't proud of.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d68/jodi-picoult-45_believe_there-s-no-way-to-explain-to-a-child-tha_1527852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d68/jodi-picoult-45_believe_there-s-no-way-to-explain-to-a-child-tha_1527852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d68/jodi-picoult-45_believe_there-s-no-way-to-explain-to-a-child-tha_1527852.jpg) > “There's no way to explain to a child that the line between good and evil isn't nearly as black and white as a fairy tale would lead you to believe. That an ordinary person can turn into a villain, under the right circumstances. That sometimes we dragon slayers do things we aren't proud of.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral judgments are complex; good and evil are not absolute, and ordinary people can become villains under certain conditions. **In simple terms:** Right and wrong are shades of gray. Key Takeaway Question simplistic moral narratives. Themes ethics human nature complexity Mood empathetic reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - education - justice system - media - politics Key Concepts moral ambiguity situational ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you teach children about moral complexity? - What circumstances can change a person's character? A Different Perspective Children may not grasp nuanced morality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Circumstances Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-dragon-5662437/) [Dragons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dragons/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-isn-1369569/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Good evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-evil/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Line Between Good And Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line-between-good-and-evil/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-person/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Slayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slayer/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) ## Related quotes > [All of the films I have made, that I have chosen to make, are all about the thin line between good and evil. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/all-of-the-films-i-have-made-that-i-have-chosen-to-make-are-all-about/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [The line between good and evil is movable and it's permeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/the-line-between-good-and-evil-is-movable-and-it-s-permeable/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [“I know," he said quietly. "But I also know there’s a thin line between good and evil. There’s a gray area, one we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/i-know-he-said-quietly-but-i-also-know-there-s-a-thin-line-between/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [“With Stefan, the line between good and evil, right and wrong, becomes increasingly blurred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melika-dannese-lux/with-stefan-the-line-between-good-and-evil-right-and-wrong-becomes/) [Melika Dannese Lux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melika-dannese-lux/) > [What 'True Blood' does really well is that it balances on the line between good and evil - you blur the distinction between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kazinsky/what-true-blood-does-really-well-is-that-it-balances-on-the-line/) [Robert Kazinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kazinsky/) > [“I am a firm believer that there is rarely a straight line between good and evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-denmon/i-am-a-firm-believer-that-there-is-rarely-a-straight-line-between/) [Nicholas Denmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-denmon/) > [“And he wonders if maybe Nina is right; if a superhero is nothing but an ordinary person who believes that she cannot fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/and-he-wonders-if-maybe-nina-is-right-if-a-superhero-is-nothing-but/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > ['Breaking Bad' is great at blurring the line between good and evil. It makes you feel compassion for Walter White so you're with him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-plemons/breaking-bad-is-great-at-blurring-the-line-between-good-and-evil-it/) [Jesse Plemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-plemons/) > [As in all Abercrombie's books, friends turn out to be enemies, enemies turn out to be friends; the line between good and evil is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/as-in-all-abercrombie-s-books-friends-turn-out-to-be-enemies-enemies/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/the-line-between-good-and-evil-is-permeable-and-almost-anyone-can-be/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [We all like to think that the line between good and evil is impermeable--that people who do terrible things, such as commit murder, treason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/we-all-like-to-think-that-the-line-between-good-and-evil-is/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [Everybody has a wicked side, whether they are six or sixty, and yet so often storytelling draws a sharp line between good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-meledandri/everybody-has-a-wicked-side-whether-they-are-six-or-sixty-and-yet-so/) [Christopher Meledandri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-meledandri/) > [The State is competent to assign duties and draw the line between good and evil only in its immediate sphere. Beyond the limits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/the-state-is-competent-to-assign-duties-and-draw-the-line-between/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who also happens to be the 10th richest person in America, with a personal fortune of some $18…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/new-york-city-mayor-michael-bloomberg-who-also-happens-to-be-the-10th/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [“the line between good and evil does not lie between “us” and “them,” between the West and the rest, between Left and Right, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-line-between-good-and-evil-does-not-lie-between-us-and-them/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's no way to explain to a child that the line between good and evil isn't nearly as black and white as a fairy tale would lead you to believe. That an ordinary person can turn into a villain, under the right circumstances. 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